....and now....
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an old original
- Posts: 110
- Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2012 6:13 pm
....and now....
...for a new front floor pan. It was a bit rusty on one side but the other was ok until some monkey with a trolley jack and no brain......
Re: ....and now....
I know you have owned yours since new and as such will have a fair idea who has worked on your car. Most of us will have bought cars that are at least 15 years old and perhaps have been worked on by a number of garages some with mechanics too young to know how a Mini should be jacked up. A couple of months ago I watched the MOT tester about to jack mine under the brackets which were use to position the body on the assembly line but which most "modern mechanics" see as a place to put their lifting pads!
So you would think that the problem was a modern one caused by non franchised (Ha Non existent Rover) garages WRONG!!! I have just purchased a 1994 Mini Rio with only 2100 miles on the clock which has never been serviced or MOT by anyone except the supplying dealer in 1994 and the floor pan is already damaged!! Damage is limited to the n/s/f floor pan and I have noticed that this wheel has been changed so that is when the damage happened!
We should make some stickers up.... "DO NOT JACK HERE - jack on subframe"
Does this mean you have to take you body kit off on this side???
So you would think that the problem was a modern one caused by non franchised (Ha Non existent Rover) garages WRONG!!! I have just purchased a 1994 Mini Rio with only 2100 miles on the clock which has never been serviced or MOT by anyone except the supplying dealer in 1994 and the floor pan is already damaged!! Damage is limited to the n/s/f floor pan and I have noticed that this wheel has been changed so that is when the damage happened!
We should make some stickers up.... "DO NOT JACK HERE - jack on subframe"
Does this mean you have to take you body kit off on this side???
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an old original
- Posts: 110
- Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2012 6:13 pm
Re: ....and now....
I don't think the kit will have to come off but on a different tack, the list of cr*p I'm discovering from the engine/gearbox/rewire episode is growing longer.....
On returning to the garage for the final oil change and tune-up a couple more things came to light (apart from the floor)
On saying the the front end seemed a bit wayward and clunky, was told after the second visit that they had "adjusted" the wheel bearings, i.e. packed in more grease and saying that the clutch seemed very hard to operate was told that the problem was the thickness of the carpet...... at which point I left...
In the last few weeks I have now discovered......
a couple of oil leaks,
one from one of the diff end plate gaskets, an end plate that for some strange reason has a metric bolt in one of the holes along side the imperial ones.
a split in the pipe from filter housing to the cooler.
Clutch issues....nice to know they took the time to clean up some bits to make it looke nice, shame they didn't consider replacing the extremely worn bits...
Slave cylinder mounting bracket held on by one bolt, packed out with four washers 'cause it's too long, and how do you suppose they found that it was too long....yep you guessed it...chewed the end on the flywheel..
Indicator / wiper stalk assembly loose on the steering column 'cause the clamp that should hold it tight was broken.
Some wires on the new loom were cut and bullets and other connectors used ...for no apparent reason and, again for no apparent reason the boost modulator has gone, replaced by a type brass screw with a small hole through it, stuffed in the end of the pipe that was attached to the BM.
Greasy paw prints all over the leather dash and rails, indicator stopped working 'cause the wire fell out of the connector into the loom, reversing lights not working...and a few othe little things, most of the above has now been sorted (not by them, but my regular garage)
There's still a small water leak somewhere, which I'll have a look at shortly
I will say that when running it is going better than it has done for many years, but has it been worth it? - in my opinion - NO
oh and during running in couldn't get temp past about 60 degrees - new thermostat required - I did ask if they checked this and was told " whatever came out - went back" and I discovered that went for the spark plugs as well -£5500 engine/gearbox rebuild and you don't get new spark plugs!!!!
sums it up really
On returning to the garage for the final oil change and tune-up a couple more things came to light (apart from the floor)
On saying the the front end seemed a bit wayward and clunky, was told after the second visit that they had "adjusted" the wheel bearings, i.e. packed in more grease and saying that the clutch seemed very hard to operate was told that the problem was the thickness of the carpet...... at which point I left...
In the last few weeks I have now discovered......
a couple of oil leaks,
one from one of the diff end plate gaskets, an end plate that for some strange reason has a metric bolt in one of the holes along side the imperial ones.
a split in the pipe from filter housing to the cooler.
Clutch issues....nice to know they took the time to clean up some bits to make it looke nice, shame they didn't consider replacing the extremely worn bits...
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Indicator / wiper stalk assembly loose on the steering column 'cause the clamp that should hold it tight was broken.
Some wires on the new loom were cut and bullets and other connectors used ...for no apparent reason and, again for no apparent reason the boost modulator has gone, replaced by a type brass screw with a small hole through it, stuffed in the end of the pipe that was attached to the BM.
Greasy paw prints all over the leather dash and rails, indicator stopped working 'cause the wire fell out of the connector into the loom, reversing lights not working...and a few othe little things, most of the above has now been sorted (not by them, but my regular garage)
There's still a small water leak somewhere, which I'll have a look at shortly
I will say that when running it is going better than it has done for many years, but has it been worth it? - in my opinion - NO
oh and during running in couldn't get temp past about 60 degrees - new thermostat required - I did ask if they checked this and was told " whatever came out - went back" and I discovered that went for the spark plugs as well -£5500 engine/gearbox rebuild and you don't get new spark plugs!!!!
sums it up really
Re: ....and now....
Verry upsetting when it happens. When you are at the mercy of people trading as competent tradesnen. Garages, plummers, biulders, etc.
It happened to me with the respray on my ERA . A terrible job done by Pool lane classics in York. I would tell everybody not to use them. You should name and shame at every opportunity.
Did they rebuild the engine?
It happened to me with the respray on my ERA . A terrible job done by Pool lane classics in York. I would tell everybody not to use them. You should name and shame at every opportunity.
Did they rebuild the engine?
Re: ....and now....
Oh yes I see they did
Re: ....and now....
I am sorry to read your poor experiences - but as we all know seems to be the norm these days rather than the exception. I am guessing the problem with your wheel bearing was that they did not tighten them correctly the first time - I doubt that repacking with grease would make the difference - but doing them up correctly will!
We have to remember that whilst many skills needed to look after a normal Mini are common to the ERA, the required skills for both are sadly lacking! How many garages still have timing lights? all they know now is to plug it into the computer and let the ECU decide!
I had a windscreen replaced on a "modern" this week and the fitter from Autoglass said that the general fitters are not equipped / qualified to replace a Mini windscreen because it sits in a rubber seal and is not bonded in!
I can not decide if your rebuild garage's worst sin was the clutch or the used plugs!
We have to remember that whilst many skills needed to look after a normal Mini are common to the ERA, the required skills for both are sadly lacking! How many garages still have timing lights? all they know now is to plug it into the computer and let the ECU decide!
I had a windscreen replaced on a "modern" this week and the fitter from Autoglass said that the general fitters are not equipped / qualified to replace a Mini windscreen because it sits in a rubber seal and is not bonded in!
I can not decide if your rebuild garage's worst sin was the clutch or the used plugs!
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an old original
- Posts: 110
- Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2012 6:13 pm
Re: ....and now....
another expensive day....
stop off 1, pay bill at garage for above clutch work + wheel bearings and oodles of other bit & bobs....£1023..
stop off 2, pick up car from body shop with new front floor pans.....£1104
then got home and faced one of those jobs you wish you hadn't started...
..but there is only a finite number of times you can use bit of coat hanger wire to repair the seat release...new cable being fitted... and yes, my lounge does have to double up as a workshop!
oh did i mention that it's booked back into the garage next week as it wasnt just the wheel bearings that needed to be replaced, it needs two brand new front hubs fitted ££££ TBA
at least I've got a shiny, solid, flat floor...
stop off 1, pay bill at garage for above clutch work + wheel bearings and oodles of other bit & bobs....£1023..
stop off 2, pick up car from body shop with new front floor pans.....£1104
then got home and faced one of those jobs you wish you hadn't started...
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oh did i mention that it's booked back into the garage next week as it wasnt just the wheel bearings that needed to be replaced, it needs two brand new front hubs fitted ££££ TBA
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an old original
- Posts: 110
- Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2012 6:13 pm
Re: ....and now....
All new hubs with all new bearings and ball joints fitted and it nearly went a whole week without a single clunk or bang from the front end back, oh well I knew it couldn't last.... Might just take a look at it myself, if I can be..........
Re: ....and now....
Nice job on the floor pans - ouch! Lots of money spent!
I have been wondering how you have managed to preserve the grey tweed on your car - given the starship mileage!
Or perhaps you have figured out what the grey cloth actually is - I reckon it is probably Jaguar but I don't know which of the tweeds it is. In 1989 the Jaguar XJS was listed with the following tweeds: Chiltern, Cotswold, Pennine, Cheviot.
Any help appreciated
I have been wondering how you have managed to preserve the grey tweed on your car - given the starship mileage!
Or perhaps you have figured out what the grey cloth actually is - I reckon it is probably Jaguar but I don't know which of the tweeds it is. In 1989 the Jaguar XJS was listed with the following tweeds: Chiltern, Cotswold, Pennine, Cheviot.
Any help appreciated
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an old original
- Posts: 110
- Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2012 6:13 pm
Re: ....and now....
Nope, the cloth bits are no longer the originals. I had all the seats redone about 9 or 10 years ago, along with the door cards and rear panels so everything matched. The chap I had do the job found something that, although not indentical to the original was fairly close, but I have no idea what he used, sorry!! All the original leather parts were retained and reused.